The thirteen-story main building of the Major University of San Andres is called a monoblock by the people of La Paz. It is the first "skyscraper" of the unofficial capital of Bolivia. It was built in 1947, influenced by the pre-Columbian architecture of South America. Today, its aesthetics are quite consistent with the country's course toward sovereignty and a social state.
In the Webometrics rankings from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), the university ranks first among Bolivian universities. It has about 80,000 students, the richest library and a reputation as the alma mater of several of the country's presidents.
Rector Oscar Heredia Vargas was one of the guests of honor at the opening ceremony of the 19th International Forum and Competition for Students and Young Scientists "Topical Problems of Subsoil Use", which the Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University traditionally holds within its walls under the auspices of the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO. In his interview WITH Forpost, the rector spoke about the Bolivian university system and plans for cooperation with Russia's oldest technical university.
- What was the background to your visit to St. Petersburg?
- It all started with a proposal from a representative of the Mining University in Latin America, Valeria Quiroz, to discuss the prospects for cooperation between the two universities. We eagerly accepted this offer and held an online video conference last fall with members of the Mining International Department. Our colleagues from St. Petersburg were then preparing for a major international forum on Natural Resource Management and Conservation of the World Natural Heritage. In early December 2022, scientists from Vietnam, China, Laos, India, Iran, and Nigeria gathered there. Several of our professors also participated. Unfortunately, I was not able to make it to Russia at the time. My colleagues told me how high the level of the event was, and it was clear that I had to come myself.
Meetings with Russian scientists on the platform of the current forum "Topical problems of subsoil use" leave no doubt about the prospects for cooperation. Joint projects with the Mining University will undoubtedly be strategically useful for both sides.
- Have you already outlined for yourself the main areas of partnership?
- Yes, student mobility projects are very relevant to us. At our university, students graduate with a licentiate degree. The duration of training is 4-6 years. During this period, students get quite deep knowledge, but our university does not have master's and postgraduate programs. We are interested in having our licensees continue their education in St. Petersburg.
We already have one such graduate student among our graduates - Eddy Yukhra. He came to St. Petersburg Mining University on his own initiative, has already received his Master's degree from you and is in his first year of graduate school. We are here today to make this kind of thing common practice, and we are ready in turn to open the doors of Major University of San Andres to St. Petersburg students.
Student exchanges are especially relevant for our three departments: Geology, Engineering and Technology. Although I am sure that all faculties will benefit from bilateral cooperation. So I hope for enough mass contacts. And to remove the language barrier, we plan to start teaching Russian language in our walls.
We are also going to organize advanced training of Major University of San Andres associate professors and professors in St. Petersburg, to ensure constant contact between the scientific centers of the two universities. The Mining University in science and education works with the full range of minerals and raw materials - from geological exploration to mining and processing. All this is very useful for us.
In particular, we are interested in your experience in creating competence centers with leading suppliers of machinery and equipment for mining, such as BELAZ and Caterpillar. With your support, we would like to create something similar in our country.
- You mentioned four to six years of licensure. Most European universities offer bachelor's programs of 4 years, which means that you, like Russia today, are not oriented to the Old World?
- The Bachelor's degree is a specificity of the Bologna System, which was developed with European universities in mind. For Bolivia, the educational standards stipulated by the Mercosur agreement (the country is in the final stage of preparation for accession to this economic association of the leading Latin American countries) are relevant. There are certain similarities with the European system, but no more. For example, in order to ensure the continuity of education, the universities of the countries participating in the agreement recognize each other's certificates of completion of certain educational courses. This resonates with the European system of re-crediting academic hours, the so-called credits.
- Looking beyond just university cooperation, what do you think Bolivia and Russia could be interested in for each other?
- For us it's valuable to touch the identity of Russian culture in all its multifaceted aspects. You've had a lot of experience in state-building since the Soviet period. As you know, Bolivia has been following a socialist course for 14 years (in 2009 a decree was signed by President Evo Morales, leader of the Movement for Socialism, which officially named the country "Plurinational State of Bolivia" and launched relevant economic reforms; the current President Luis Arce, a graduate of Major University of San Andres, is a member of the same party). In addition to the purely professional benefits of the educational experience at Russia's first technical university, our students would benefit from an introduction to Russian history and the various concepts of building a sovereign economy.
Major University of San Andres is committed to academic freedom and autonomy. Our classrooms coexist with a variety of left-wing views: Leninism, Trotskyism, Stalinism, and Maoism. Free discussion is encouraged. In this sense there are no restrictions, including, say, liberal ideas. Teachers are not constrained in their political and economic preferences, and this only benefits the quality of education.
